This invention relates to end connectors used to connect fiber optic transport cables to equipment ports, terminals or the like.
Fiber optic technology is being increasingly adapted for various applications in industries such as cable television for replacing coaxial cables. Such adaptations involve varying hybrid fiber optic systems, wherein fiber optic transport cables are linked to down-line optical repeaters or amplifiers, and to junctions where a conversion from light wave frequencies to radio frequencies for distribution to associated equipment takes place. The use of fiber optics in an industry such as cable television allows for the increases in both the reliability and number of channels of the system. The technology also allows for the expansion of basic television service to include services such as HDTV (high definition television), and PCN (personal communication networks) so that the cable television system may compete with the telephone industry.
The cables being utilized in such systems are configured to protect and transport optic fibers, varying from a single fiber to hundreds of fibers. The cables are manufactured in a number of configurations, and most include various structural strength and support members with an outer protective dielectric plastic jacket. A variety of support members are available including corrugated metallic sheaths, plastic or glass fillers, peripheral strength member steel wires, glass filament rods or Kevlar.TM. placed in center support wires. Such support members are critical components given the hostile environments in which the cables are employed, i.e. placement in tunnels, fed through conduits, buried underground, or pole-to-pole connections. The individual optic fibers, as well as groups of fibers, are carried in small hard protective tubes within the cable. The optic fibers are delicate and cannot be subjected to damage or stresses from bending, stretching, moisture or chemical intrusion, excessive rotational or longitudinal stresses on the cable or any other circumstance that could effect the optical transmission characteristic of the individual optic fibers. Furthermore, damage to the optic fibers may result from excessive rotational and radial stresses involved in linking the cable to the intended operational equipment.
Such cables may range in size from approximately 3/8 inch diameter to approximately one inch in diameter, and can be slightly out of round.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a fiber optic transport cable end connector which supports a cable in a secured position so as to resist rotational and longitudinal forces while being able to accommodate a wide range of cable sizes and cross-sectional shapes.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide an end connector which may be easily coupled to and decoupled from associated equipment without the cable being subjected to excessive and potentially damaging rotational and longitudinal stresses, or from having to remove the cable from the end connector in the process.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an end connector which seals the optic fibers of a cable from exposure to environmental conditions.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an end connector which effectively grounds conductive members associated with the cable so as to prevent RF signal leakage.